Barcodes are essential in automated laboratories to track samples and to direct well plates to the next step in the workflow. As automated laboratory instruments move barcoded plates from instrument to instrument, the well plate's barcode is scanned and uploaded into the laboratory's computer system. This computer system can locate and track barcoded plates at any time.
Although well plates are barcoded, individual wells or small sample vessels are unable to accommodate a barcode. This results in individual wells or sample vessels not being individually tracked during a laboratory process. Although a barcode can be applied to the side of a sample vessel, the label's location requires manual scanning, making it incompatible with automated processes.